Track lubricator



Jan. 2, 1962 J. B. MCWILLIAMS TRACK LUBRICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 25, 1960 H LII.

2, 1962 J. B. MCWILLIAMS TRACK LUBRICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1960 FIG. 5.

FIG.4.

INVENTOR Jams 23. M WILLIAMS/ United States Patent ()fifice Fatented Jan. 2, 1962 3,015,370 TRACK LUBRICATOR James B. McWilliams, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Railway Maintenance Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania, and Poor 8: Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware, jointly Filed Nov. 25, 1960, Ser. No. 71,471 2 Claims. (Cl. 184-3) This invention relates to improvements in track lubricators of the type shown in my Patent No. 2,929,466, dated March 22, 1960.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a simplified and sturdy grease pump operating shaft assembly for reducing installation and maintenance time to a minimum, and, which because of the reduction in time intervals for these purposes also reduces the hazard to workmen from moving trains. For example, the present invention is intended to provide structural features which reduce complete service and maintenance time from one hour to approximately fifteen minutes because of the simplification of assembly and the utilization of rugged and reliable parts.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide a novel shaft assembly including the wheel operated ramp having a. shaft provided at one end with longitudinal spline grooves and ribs cooperating with a similar internally splined bore of a socket member, slidable longitudinally relative to the ramp shaft, and cooperating with a novel universal coupling bar. This bar is angularly fixed to said first socket and also relative to a second socket member having a slidable spline engagement with a longitudinally shiftable pump shaft normally spring urged to inactive position.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel con struction, combination, and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodirnent'of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating the location of the installation.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view illustrating the ramp and shaft assembly for operating the pump mechanism of the type shown in my patent above referred to.

FIGURE 3 is a detail exploded perspective view of the universal connection employed in the shafting between the ramp and the pump.

FlGURE 4 is a detail view of the grease pump as per my former patent.

FIGURE 5 is a detail side elevation of the pump shaft assembly, a portion of the tank being shown in section.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, it may be seen that the lubricator tank A containing the pump mechanism of the type shown in my aforesaid patent is provided with the hose connections B and B connected by a three-way plug C, the said hose connections B and B communicating as indicated at B with spaced wiping bars B located at the gauge side of the rail R.

The ramp lever and its shaft connections include the ramp lever proper designated generally as 1 and having integral stub shaft portion 2 journalled in the offset journal housing 3 of a supporting plate 4 detachably connected by suitable fastenings F with the primary support disposed in the fishing space of the rail, and hel in place by the usual clamps.

The journal housing 3 is provided on its outer surface with a radial pin 5 which serves as an anchor for one end of a coil spring S surrounding the shaft. The end of the shaft 2 is provided with a spline portion 6 as shown in FIGURES 2, 3 and 5 for entering a corresponding splined bore 6* in the socket member 7. This socket member 7 also has a radial pin 8 which forms an anchor, opposite the anchor 5, for the other end of the spring S.

The socket member 7 has an identical counterpart 7 which enables these parts to be mass produced in quantity for stock. As we observe from FIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 5, these socket members are each formed with a non-circular recess, for example, an elongated or substantially oval-shaped recess 10, intended to receive a correspondingly shaped head 1' of a universal coupling bar 12. This bar has a duplicate and therefore interchangeable head 11 at the end opposite the head first de scribed. These coupling bars are preferably forged from suitable stock to provide the said heads 11, ii, and, in addition, to provide the adjacent substantially flat portions 13 of reduced thickness. These portions permit the bar heads '11, 11 to not only move horizontally but vertically with both sliding and pivotal action in the socket members 7 to take care of relative movement between the socket members clue, for example, to change in position of the tank A in the ground, or the wave motion of the rails R, relative to the ties in the road bed ballast.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the socket member 7 has its splined bore 7 slidably receiving the splined portion of the pump shaft '15 which extends beyond the track side of the pump casing A.

Thus, the pump shaft assembly includes the ramp lever and its stub shaft 2, socket members '7 and 7 and universal coupling bar l2, all of which may be separated or assembled in the direction of their longitudinal axes. In other words, the mere act of slidably locking the first socket member 7 and the second socket member 7 on their respective spline shaft portions enables them to be put in place.

Also, because of the shape of the sockets 10 and the head 11 of the universal bar .12, it will be seen that while horizontal and vertical movement may readily take place therebetween, nevertheless, angular movement of the entire shafting from ramp lever to pump is capable of most precise control and the spring S is the principal means of preventing backlash between all moving parts and maintains the ramp lever 1 at a constant level.

That is to say, the effect of the coil spring S engaging the radial lug 5 on the stub shaft 2 of the ramp and the radial lug 8 on the socket member 7 is to maintain the ramp lever 1 at a constant level with respect to the head of the rail R so that passing car Wheels will uniformly depress it to actuate the pump.

The ramp lever 1 and the grease tank are relatively immovably spaced apart at substantially right angles to the track and because of their relatively fixed locations, the pump shaft 15 must have sufficient axial movement in the tank to permit separation of the coupling bar 12 from the socket members 7 and 7 As will be seen from FIG. 5, the tank A in which the pump shaft 15 is mounted is provided on its rear wall with a socket 17 while its forward Wall has a bushing 18. This socket is of sufficient depth to permit the shaft 15 to be axially moved back in the bushing a distance whereby the splined end 15 will disengage its related socket 7 Normally the portion of the shaft in the tank is held in operative position by thrust collars 19 and 20, having screws 19 and 20 engaging 17 and 18. Thus, it is only necessary to loosen set screw 19 on thrust collar 19 and shove the shaft 15 back in the socket 17 with thrust collar 19 attached. This action drops out the coupling bar 12 and the sockets and bar 3 may now be slipped from the shaft for any service necessary.

To further get at the ramp, two nuts are removed from the fastenings F and the frame 3 may be slid off the backing bar. The backing bar and the entire distributing bar assembly is untouched. The ramp may then he slid from its bearing and is available for servicing.

The shaft 15 carries lever arm 21 which is keyed thereto so that when angular movement is imparted to the shaft by the ramp lever, the stem 22 of the pump P will move against the compressed spring P. The upper end of the stem 22 pivots in depression 23 in the bottom edge of the lever arm 21. The top free edge of the lever arm strikes abutment 24 to limit its upward movement under influence of spring P. This abutment and the pump support 25 are secured to transverse bar 26 by a common fastening 27.

It will now be seen that the spring S at the ramp end of the universal bar holds the ramp down to its maximum limit and in opposite direction to the action of the pump spring which returns the ramp to its normal elevation, and as previously stated, eliminates all backlash or play between moving parts and to maintain the ramp at one constant level. The vibration and rebound had been found in previous installations to cause the ramp to rebound to different elevations, depending upon the amount of friction within the mechanism. Ramp elevation for grease discharge is still achieved by the end adjusting screws in the manner of previous lubricators. Thereduction of batter or peening component in this assembly is minimized and virtually eliminated by the constant contact preserved with the application of this coil spring.

The severe impact of moving car wheels at high speed creates a condition, whereby any play must be eliminated in order to produce a proper life of the machine. The ramp, being subjected to batter of the car wheels passing over it, wears and produces cold fiow of metal. In this case, the ramp can be removed, built up by welding and replaced, or, a new ramp may be installed, depending upon condition of the Worn and deteriorated part.

I claim:

1. In a track lubricator installation where the grease pump is mounted in a grease tank having opposite wall portions, and a grease distributor are arranged in predetermined spaced relation to each other and to the rail of the track upon which the lubricator is mounted, the combination comprising, a quickly dismantled and quickly assembled pump operating shaft assembly including a ramp lever, a stub shaft for the lever and provided with an axial spline portion, a first socket member including a shank portion internally splined to slidably engage said spline portion of the stub shaft for relative axial movement and having a non-circular socket portion, a second socket member also having a non-circular socket portion and an internally splined portion, a universal coupling bar having non-circular end portions engaged in the noncircular sockets of said socket members, a coil spring in the shaft assembly for imparting relative angular movement between the ramp lever and the first socket member, a pump shaft having a spline portion at one end engaging in the splined portion of said second socket member, a bushing on one wall of the tank, a thrust collar on said shaft at the inner side of the bushing and held thereto by a set screw, a socket member on the wall of the tank opposite said bushing, and a collar on the shaft adjacent the mouth of the socket and held thereto by a set screw, whereby, upon loosening the said set screw on the last mentioned collar the shaft may be moved axially into its related socket to release its splined end from the spline of the second socket member and the latter may be disconnected from the coupling bar and said bar in turn disconnected from the first socket member.

2. In a track lubricator according to claim 1, wherein a radial lug is provided on the journal housing and another radial pin is provided on the first socket member to support the said coil spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 96,406 Dugdale Nov. 2, 1869 283,940 Wheeler Aug. 28, 1883 942,087 Lipe Dec. 7, 1909 1,119,572 Butler Dec. 1, 1914 2,009,371 Junge July 23, 1935 2,104,176 Warr Jan. 4, 1938 2,262,852 Martin Nov. 18, 1941 2,427,159 Poole Sept. 9, 1947 2,498,519 Bates Feb. 21, 1950 2,643,738 Magnus June 30, 1953 2,654,234 Christensen Oct. 6, 1953 2,884,093 Stewart Apr. 28, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 301,276 Great Britain Nov. 29, 1928 

